MY PHD VIVA....VIVA IS A BATTLEFIELD?

Preparing for the PhD viva

There are two ways of considering the PhD viva voce interview:

•The viva provides the researcher with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the end of a successful research project, receiving the acclaim of experts within the field.

•The viva is the last (and possibly biggest) hurdle that needs to be overcome in the race towards successful completion.

The checklist below suggests ways that will enable you to begin to distance yourself from position  and work steadily towards position. The viva should indeed be an experience which is memorable for positive reasons, and regarded as an opportunityrather than a threat. Too often this is not the case.

If the prospect of the viva fills you with alarm, bear in mind that there are a number of things that you can do before the day and on the day which can be of great help.

Before the viva:

1. Think back to your upgrading interview

Although this may seem very distant in time, it is a valuable preparation for the final viva. What kind of written comments were recorded at the time? What do you remember learning from the experience?

2. Practice the viva itself

Some supervisors are willing to organize mock vivas for research students who feel that this will be of great benefit. Ideally, these should be conducted by academics who you do not know very well, but with a strong connection to your field of study.

3. Develop your oral presentation skills

Giving conference or research seminar presentations can provide an excellent preparation for the viva, enabling you to develop a range of skills including the ability to deal with unexpected questions. They can also provide a boost to your confidence allowing you to approach the viva with a more positive attitude.

4. Find recordings of viva interviews

These are difficult but not impossible to find. One recently-uploaded example can be found on the Preparing for your Viva webpage.

5. Talk to PhD students who have recently undergone a viva

Talking to people who have recently undergone their viva can be very beneficial. Although experiences can differ greatly, it is useful to learn more about the type of questions that may be asked, different examining styles and to be warned about possible pitfalls.

6. Research the academic history of your examiners

In moderation, of course. Although examiners will not expect or welcome constant references to their own work, if you have some familiarity with their contribution to the

field this can help you to understand how they themselves regard the main issues emerging from your work.

7. Familiarize yourself with your own work

Read through your thesis carefully and make sure you are familiar with key arguments, findings and sources. Annotate the chapters using ‘post-it’ stickers or some other means so that you will immediately be able to access a particular section when required during the viva.

Strategies that will help on the day:

• Listen to all questions carefully and check that you fully understand what is expected of you. If you are not sure, do not hesitate to seek clarification.

• Answer questions clearly and concisely. If you don’t know the answer, say so.Do not be tempted to go off the point to show off your knowledge on related issues – this will irritate rather than impress. Resist also the temptation to deliver memorized answers.

• Stay connected to your written text, using arguments and evidence from within the thesis to strengthen the points that you make.

• Be prepared to take the initiative. If you think key points are being missed, point them out. ‘Defending a thesis’ does not mean a adopting a purely defensive role.

• Respond to criticisms robustly if you think that they are unjustified, but have the confidence to agree if an examiner identifies a known weak area in your research. Your honesty in this respect will be much appreciated.

sources : Learning and Teaching Unit, SOAS, University of London 2008